UPDATE: Charleston Beer Fest Moved to September

UPDATE: 4/12/20 - Organizers for the Charleston Beer Fest have announced that this year's event has been rescheduled to Saturday, September 26th.

In an e-mail alert, organizers said:

We hope you are keeping your spirits up during this COVID-19 crisis. Please stay safe and take care of yourselves.

At Charleston Beer Fest, we’ve been holding out hope that life would return to normal and we could safely gather for beer, music, games, food, crafts and fun in May. It is clear that we still have a way to go before that will be possible and your safety and that of our breweries, vendors and partners is of the utmost importance.

To that end, we’ve rescheduled Charleston Beer Fest for Saturday, September 26, 2020. We will return to Riverfront Park with more than 40 amazing craft breweries, music, food and community. There will be adjustments as needed to ensure the safety of all, but we promise you will still have a fun experience supporting a great cause as we continue to work our hardest to bring you the biggest and best Charleston Beer Fest yet. Stay tuned for programming updates.

We will automatically honor all pre-purchased tickets. We sincerely thank each of you for your ticket purchase: remember that 100% of the ticket price is a donation to support Palmetto Community Care’s work to help those living with HIV/AIDS in the Lowcountry. Tickets remain non-refundable per our ticket purchase agreement.

We are in this together with you, our breweries, our food and craft vendors and our entire Charleston community. We look forward to celebrating together on Saturday, September 26. Until then, please stay safe, follow all recommended guidance and continue to Drink Beer and Do Good at home while supporting our amazing craft breweries!

-Original Post Below -

Thousands of beer enthusiasts and newbies alike will enjoy a day of craft beer, live music, and engaging games, all to benefit a great cause as the Charleston Beer Fest returns to Riverfront Park in North Charleston on Saturday, May 23rd. The event will feature 40+ breweries and more than 100 beers (along with ciders, meads, spiked seltzers and non-alcoholic options), making it the biggest year yet.

Brews from the Carolinas and beyond will be a new, expanded focus for this year’s celebration, which will feature favorites from coast to coast, including Brooklyn Brewery from New York City and 21st Amendment Brewery from San Francisco. The festival benefits Palmetto Community Care (PCC) in its mission to provide HIV awareness, prevention and care across the tri-county region.

“Charleston Beer Fest will shine a light on the local and regional breweries that are making South Carolina such a great beer destination,” said Jason Kirk, PCC development and marketing director. “Meanwhile, we’ll also welcome some rare or hard-to-find brews from folks beyond the Carolinas and enhance our musical entertainment with a soon-to-be announced major headliner, all in the spirit of adventure and exploration.”

Elevated bar offerings including a new tiki bar for VIP ticket holders and drinks by Mamasita’s Margaritas near the main stage will amplify the experience. And, every participating brewery will serve at least one beverage that is limited release or hard-to-find, increasing the fun for the most ardent samplers. Ticket buyers will also receive more beer tasting tickets this year, whether in VIP or General Admission (GA will receive twice as many as in past years). VIPs will gain admittance to the festival an hour before other guests.

Beyond the tasting tents, attendees can enjoy:

Rotating live music on the main stage covering a wide array of genres.

Interactive competitive beer and lawn games like hands-free pizza eating, pony hop races, stein hoisting, giant jenga, cornhole and more in the Yelp Beer Games area.

Top food trucks from around the region.

Shopping products from local vendors and artisans.

Witnessing emerging pioneers in the Homebrewers’ Village win prizes awarded by industry judges, and more.

Returning guests will notice changes to the park, including access to the newly finished dock and the removal of the central berm, both slated for completion in advance of the May event. Plus, there will be additional shade tents, misting fans to keep attendees cool and an entirely new free water system to help everyone remain hydrated this Memorial Day Weekend.

In 2019, 4,110 festival goers sampled more than 80 craft beers from 43 breweries. The North and South Carolina breweries served IPAs, stouts, reds, ciders and more.

Early bird VIP and general admission tickets will go on sale to the general public on Feb. 1, 2020. Be the first to gain access to limited supplies of pre-sale tickets by signing up for the email list at www.chsbeerfest.org. Stay connected on social media @chsbeerfest.

All proceeds benefit Palmetto Community Care in its work providing complete, compassionate HIV care and prevention education awareness across the tri-county area. Last year, the event raised more than $140,000 for PCC.

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